A chronic total occlusion (CTO) is an arterial vessel blockage that obstructs blood flow through a vessel. A CTO generally results from a diseased condition called arthrosclerosis, which can occur in both coronary and peripheral arteries. In some instances, it may be difficult or impossible to penetrate the CTO with a medical device in an antegrade direction to recanalize the vessel. Accordingly, techniques have been developed for creating a subintimal pathway (a path between the intimal and adventitial tissue layers of the vessel wall) around the occlusion and then reentering the true lumen of the vessel distal of the occlusion. In some instances, reentering the true lumen from the subintimal space and/or recanalization pathway may be difficult. For example, some methods for subintimal reentry rely on the difference between the stiffness of the outer adventitial layer and the inner intimal layer of a vessel wall to facilitate reentry into the vessel lumen. Generally, the outer adventitial layer is stiffer than the inner intimal layer. This difference in stiffness allows the intimal layer to yield first if a medical device applies an outwardly directed pressure from between the two tissue layers, thus deflecting the distal portion of the catheter shaft toward the vessel lumen. However, in some instances calcification (accumulation of plaque) on the inner surface of the vessel wall may increase the stiffness of the intimal layer, reducing the difference in stiffness of the tissue layers, and thereby making it difficult for catheters to reenter the vessel lumen. In such instances, the risk of inadvertent perforation or dissection of the vessel wall, or tamponade (blood leakage out of an artery around the heart or peripheral organs) may increase during a subintimal recanalization procedure. Accordingly, it is desirable to provide alternative recanalization systems and/or methods having improved reentry mechanisms for recanalization of a blood vessel in which a CTO is present.